Critics Blast Proposal That Would Put Garbage Transfer Station Near LaGuardia
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was plenty of "trash talk" in Queens Thursday night over a proposed garbage transfer station near LaGuardia Airport.
Aviation and wildlife experts took turns taking shots at Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration. Former NTSB chairman Jim Hall said the transfer station is sure to be a bird magnet.
"It will endanger the lives of everyone who flies in and out of LaGuardia Airport as well as the citizens of Queens," he told reporters, including 1010 WINS' Al Jones.
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Hall said when he first heard about the garbage transfer station plan for College Point, he couldn't believe the proximity to the runways of LaGuardia Airport.
"It is mind-boggling to think that after the miracle on the Hudson, that this project was not scrapped," he said.
The Bloomberg administration said the College Point transfer station will be fully enclosed, but bird expert Ron Merritt said that's not enough.
"Have you've ever seen a trash truck and didn't have something hanging off of it? Smelling something, leaking something. Well you can increase the number of birds from two to 200 in minutes," Merritt said.
Merritt also continued his criticism, saying "Even if you cover this up as best you can, there's still gonna be more birds in the atmosphere around that facility regardless of what you do."
One of the main opponents of the plan, Friends of LaGuardia, is in federal court to try to stop to construction of the transfer station.
Assemblywoman Grace Meng, who helped put together the town hall meeting to discuss the plan, said the Bloomberg administration, the Port Authority, and the FAA were all invited to attend and answer questions, but none did.
Share your thoughts on the proposed garbage transfer station at that location in the comments section...
